Ovo has announced its chief operating officer has been appointed as the new chief executive of its energy retail business.
Raman Bhatia, who will formally take up the role on Tuesday (1 March), replaces Adrian Letts who is stepping down after three years.
Joe Gordon, Ovo’s vice president of customer care and former chief executive of First Direct Bank, will take over as chief operating officer.
Bhatia joined Ovo in January 2020 and has led the integration of SSE and the migration of customers onto the Kaluza platform. His previous roles include head of digital bank for HSBC retail banking and wealth management in the UK and Europe, vice president at HouseTrip and director of strategy at Expedia for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Commenting on his appointment, Bhatia said: “As the COO of Ovo, I have first-hand experience of this company’s drive to deliver a better customer experience through digital solutions and new technology.
“With ambitious goals to halve our customers’ carbon emissions, I’m honoured to take Ovo forward on the next phase of its journey. I’m looking forward to working closely with Stephen and everyone in the company to get us closer to our zero-carbon living goal.”
Adrian Letts said: “Being part of Ovo for the past three years has been a great privilege and I am very proud of what we have achieved as a company.
“Raman and I have worked together closely for a number of months to ensure a strong succession plan is in place and I have the utmost confidence in him to drive great success for Ovo in the future.”
Company founder Stephen Fitzpatrick said: “I’d like to thank Adrian for his contribution and leadership during the last three years. Adrian has navigated Ovo through the integration of SSE, the pandemic, and more recently through energy market challenges. We wish him the very best for the future.
“Raman is incredibly well qualified to take Ovo through the next phase of growth, having driven the transformation of the retail business over the last two years with great success. He is passionate about customer experience, decarbonisation and creating a great place to work and I cannot think of a better person for this role.”